7 Smart Ways To Get More Volume: Straight Hair

Getting volume into your straight hair is not as difficult as you might imagine, and I’m here to help explain the best methods you can use to avoid limp hair the next time you leave the house! There is so much advice about this — because it’s an issue that many women deal with — so I’ve summarized the most important information for you in the sections below!

Tips On How to Increase Volume

Hair-care routine and products

To add some life to your straight locks, make sure you’re using a volumizing shampoo and conditioner. Depending on the style that you are going for that day, I also recommend using a similar kind of mousse or spray. After all the time you put into styling, this will help your mane keep its new shape and volume, and all of your hard work won’t go to waste!

Shampoo, condition, rinse, right? What if there’s a better way? One other change you can make to your hair-care routine is to include one teeny tiny step at the end of your wash. Ready for it? After you put conditioner, use a bit more shampoo before rinsing, lather it all together, and then do your final rinse.

One final note on your routine: don’t wash too often! Your locks will be healthier when washed every other day (or you can even try for 3 days between washes) because every time it is washed, it loses healthy oils that help support your mane health. It might seem strange to you at first, but if given a few weeks, your hair will adapt to your new schedule and will be all the healthier for it!

Cleaning Residual Product from the Root

Have you ever been told that most of the hair’s fullness comes from the root? Well, this might be true, but it’s also important to clean away the residue from the root before attempting to include in other products to your straight locks to increase fullness . In short, it’s best to begin with a clean slate. To do this, make sure to clean with a good shampoo before attempting to include any volumizing products to the roots. This is especially important if you use products with soybean, sunflower, and coconut oil. These are all great for your roots and increasing fullness , but they tend to weigh your locks down! So take that extra step and give your scalp a good wash before increasing fullness to that hair!

Style While you Sleep

I know how it is — sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the day to get out the door on-time and spend the time you need to to style your straight hair for fullness ! There are, fortunately, several cheats that you can use to get fullness without spending much time in the morning.

One trick I use is to sleep with my locks wound up in a scrunchie. You know, the one that you used to steal from your mom’s make-up drawer when you were little? Or was that just me? After washing your hair in the evening, twist your damp hair into a knot at the top of your head and secure it with the scrunchie. In the morning, you will wake up with gorgeous volumizing curls!

Another great way to style overnight is to make braids. This is one of my favorite lazy methods, and I’ve got lots of helpful hints to make it work flawlessly when you try it out! First, you will want to start with just slightly damp hair again. I’ve made the mistake of not letting my hair air-dry enough before putting it in braids, and then I wake up with wet hair — what a bummer! Once it is dry enough, you can choose to make many small braids, or just a few large braids. The smaller your braids are, the more wavy it will be. In the morning, take out your braids, put on a little hairspray, and you’re all set to go!

Blow-drying and Curling

If you do have a bit more time in the morning to spend on increasing volume to your straight locks, you can be strategic about your blow-drying technique. One sure-fast method to increase volume is to flip your head upside down and blow-dry it almost all the way. Once it’s just a little bit damp, I recommend flipping your head right-side up again and blow-drying it the rest of the way, paying attention to the roots this time to give it that last little bit of lift! For even more lift, you can use a round brush for this last step. Don’t forget to invest in a good blow-dryer!

Curling is another great way to increase fullness with heat. You can do this using either a curling iron or a flat-iron. I actually prefer using a flat-iron to curl, because it is more versatile. One day, you can increase more fullness at the root by applying a bit of heat just to that part, while the next you could go completely curly!

Other Styling Methods

There are many other ways to style your hair for fullness . On occasion, I love to tease my hair using a comb. This works great with any ponytail, or any variation thereof. This makes it a great option for those days when you want your straight locks to look full, but you don’t want it falling in your face!

Another great styling trick is to use a shaping product to scrunch damp hair. Even if it is straight, this will still have the effect of increasing some waves and will give it that added volume you’re looking for!

As a bonus, this styling method is one of the simplest and quickest ones out there! If you want to go for an all-natural styling method, scrunching will still work. Just mix sea salt (3 tsp) and water (1 cup) in a spray bottle and spritz onto your scrunched hair for a secure hold!

I’ve mentioned a bunch of methods you can use to increase fullness to your straight hair. You can focus on improving your routine, using the right products, and adopting a new styling method. You can style your damp hair overnight; use a blow-drying, curling, or flat-iron technique; or you can tease or scrunch to get the desired fullness . Now that you’re equipped with this knowledge, get out there and get some volume in that hair!